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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28095285">A Nutcracker Fantasy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmo/pseuds/tmo'>tmo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alice in Wonderland References, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Holidays, Kid Fic, M/M, Rats, References to The Nutcracker, Winter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:40:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,411</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28095285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmo/pseuds/tmo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Iruka finds himself in a magical world where his toys have come to life but must fight the evil mice who threaten the kingdom before he can return home.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Sukea/Umino Iruka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Note: I put holidays in the tags because this does take place in the winter season when get-togethers happen but there are no references to actual holidays &lt;3</p><p>This fic is heavily inspired by The Nutcracker Fantasy which I used to watch so much as a kid. The full version is up on yt for free if ya'll wanna watch it but maybe not until I finish this! lol (The music is so good and Christopher Lee in the dub is just *chef's kiss*)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>In my mischievous youth, Aunty used to tell me the story of the Sack Man before bed to get me to sleep. They used to scare me and every time she told them I would hide under the covers and try my hardest to fall asleep. As time went on, those stories stopped scaring me and I would spend my nights exploring her house full of antiques and searching for hidden treasures. Uncle was a clockmaker by trade but a toymaker at heart and we had a game where Uncle would hide gifts in secret compartments for me to eventually find.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Uncle and Aunty’s place was always my favourite place to visit while Mummy and Papa were working for the holidays. It wasn’t just because of the toys though. I loved going to Aunty and Uncle’s because that was the only time I got to see Kakashi, Uncle’s apprentice and my favourite person in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, Kakashi was three years older than I and had been so impossibly cool in my eyes that when he didn’t come to visit Aunty and Uncle one year, I was devastated. He had been held up at school because of the storms that year. The next year, I stayed up so late waiting for him to arrive that Aunty brought up the Sack Man again for the first time in years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They were probably held up by the storm,” Aunty sighed as I eagerly pressed my face against the glass, hoping to see Kakashi’s coach through the fogging glass and snow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Horrified by that suggestion, hopped off the windows sill to tell her, “Kakashi promised me he’d make it this year no matter what. He said so in his letters.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi would never lie to me, he was too cool for that and I was about to go for the letter I had stashed under my pillow when Aunty chuckled at my enthusiasm. “I’m sure he will but the weather outside might hold him up. Kakashi and his father aren’t fools. They’ll probably stop for the night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was right, the snow was falling much harder and the journey from Paris was a long one. It would be unwise to travel at night in this weather. Seeing my disappointment, Aunty pulled back my bed covers and hushed, “Besides, stay up too later and the Sack Man will come to take you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I rolled my eyes at her. “Aunty, I’m too old to believe in the Sack Man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Didn’t you hear about the boy down the street? He was twelve too. The Sack Man turned him into a rat and he was snatched up, never to be seen again,” She warned but I was standing tall and proud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a kid anymore so the Sack Man can’t-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as those words left my mouth, the sound of the doorknob turning caught us both off guard and we held our breaths as it slowly turned. The door creaked open barely an inch and we held our breaths in horror until it revealed Uncle, peppered with snow and his bag from work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uncle!” I called, swooping into his arms for a hug as Aunty clutched her chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You scared us!” She admonished, kissing his cheek after he set me back on the floor. “How was the shop?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His cheeks were rosy from the cold and he was smiling so warmly even through the weather. Ever positive, he replied, “Busy for the holidays but once the storm set in, all the patrons left. Sorry, Iruka, I don’t think anyone will be coming over in this weather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing my disappointment, Uncle sat on the edge of my bed and assured, “He’ll be here tomorrow, I’m sure of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” I weakly said back and he started to open his bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve bought you a few things to play with. There were a few leftovers today that no one wanted and I thought you might want to see them.” Uncle knew very well how much I loved his odd creations, especially the ones no one wanted because those were the best of them all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I gasped and flew over, jumping onto the bed to watch him pull out a few trinkets and puppets but the one that caught my eye above them all was the nutcracker doll. It had a royal purple shirt, a silver sash and a small sword at its hip. It had simply down hair and clear grey eyes but what made it different were the purple marks running down the eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before I could ask about them, Uncle read my mind and said, “I accidentally spilled some paint. Instead of wasting a doll, I thought why not make it part of him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s beautiful,” I marvelled, thinking in my head how his eyes looked so much like Kakashi who I missed dearly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My heart burst with the idea of having my own little Kakashi that I could bring on adventures and have tea with. I looked up at my Uncle with hopeful eyes, “Can I keep him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? You want to keep a scrap?” Uncle smiled then and muttered in such wise words, “You know, I’ve always loved making dolls because each one is different. While it’s easy to make a clock that works, it’s not easy to make a doll that people will love. While clocks are all the same on the inside, dolls always are difficult. It’s hard to make a doll that’s good on the inside and out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This one’s good on the inside,” I declared, thinking that if it was like my Kakashi, then it must be good. I hadn’t known at the time that Uncle was thinking of people too and he patted me on the head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get to know it first and then you can make up your mind,” Uncle said before I could think on that more and ushered Uncle out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s enough, you two. It's time for bed. Now, get to bed before the Sack Man comes and turns you into a rat,” She warned and left me in bed with my new nutcracker doll.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Under the covers, I grinned at my nutcracker and thought that the wait to see Kakashi would be much more bearable now that I had a friend to keep me company.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll protect you from the Sack Man,” I remember whispering to him through a yawn and soon fell into sleep with my nutcracker next to me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I thought of cool, collected Kakashi coming to visit and getting to hear all his stories from Paris. Maybe he’d even stay for a few days this time. That way I could show him all the books I had read over the summer and all the flowers I’d pressed for him. Hopefully, he’d like them and take them home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Drifting off into thoughts of flowers and writing, I woke up in the middle of the night quite suddenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, I hoped that I had woken up because of someone arriving but there were no sounds of doors opening or closing as I sat in bed and listened. Then I realized that I was alone in bed. My nutcracker doll was gone and I gasped, tearing the sheets off the bed for it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dreading that I'd lost him, I searched under the bed and he still wasn’t there. I glanced around the room for him but instead of seeing him, I saw the impossible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My room door was propped open and my nutcracker was laying there in the doorway. Before I could be any more confused, he was suddenly yanked out the door and I shot out of bed with a gasp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!" I called, hurrying in my nightgown into the hall. It was dark and hard to see. The only light came from my room and the moonlight coming from the windows but I could see the glimmer of my nutcracker being dragged down the hall and stairs. I peered through the bannisters to the dark living room below to find my nutcracker lying there, surrounded by dark shapes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop! Don't touch him!" I called, racing down the stairs to find that my nutcracker was surrounded by rats. As soon as they saw me, they bolted into the dark and left my nutcracker alone and bent oddly. As carefully as possible, I picked him up and found he was scratched by the rats' claws.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My poor nutcracker," I muttered as I tried to bandage him up in the middle of the night. The living room was so dark and the grandfather clock Uncle had made ticked so loudly. What had happened to the moonlight? I wondered as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up tall, feeling as though I was being watched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My senses were entirely right because I was being watched by dozens upon dozens of tiny, red eyes that started to glimmer from the shadows as they crept towards my nutcracker and me. Their squeaking was like nails on a chalkboard and their eyes seemed so high, bigger than a normal rat and much bigger than me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was so scared, I could only fall back when a giant, horrifying rat stood from the shadows in the room. It was so tall, their head grazed the ceiling even though it’s back was hunched over. Their one red eye and the other mangled, purple eye shocked me but his laugh was even more terrifying as he said in a hiss, "Why, look at that doll. Doesn't it look strong?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frozen to the floor, I could only watch how the giant rat reached a hand out for my nutcracker, muttering, "He would make a fine soldier for my army-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!" I yelled, scrambling away from his clawed and gnarled hand. "You can't have him! He's mine!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am the Rat King!” He yelled back, trying to snatch him out of my desperate grip. “This nutcracker is mine by birthright! Kabuto!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A rat the size of me zipped out from behind the Rat King and managed to grab my nutcracker’s arm. Holding on for dear life, I tried to tug him back but the rat only pulled harder. “No! You can’t have him! He wants to be with me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My grip suddenly weakened and I accidentally let go. As I fell back, I watched my nutcracker tumble through the air and thought that I’d let him down. But then I hit my head on the coffee table and things went blurry and weirder than they already were. I could’ve sworn I saw my nutcracker stand and unsheathe his sword but I couldn’t remember what happened next. It was so foggy that I can now only remember Aunty’s worried face above me, asking me if I was okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re burning up,” She muttered, switching my comforter for lighter sheets. “Here, drink some water, Iruka. You must have caught a cold while playing in the snow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room was lit by a candle faintly burning but it was still dark outside. Aunty was in her nightgown as if having just woken up and was fussing over me as usual, as if I hadn’t at all just been downstairs and had been in my this entire time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My nutcracker,” I muttered as I handed the glass back. My bed was still empty though and he was nowhere to be found. “Where’s my nutcracker?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” Aunty said instead of answering my question, pressing a wet cloth to my forehead. “Keep that on your forehead and try to get some sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aunty, I saw a rat downstairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She chuckled and kissed my forehead, “You were dreaming of the Sack Man, huh? He doesn’t want sick boys so you don’t have to worry about him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A dream? The Sack Man? I hadn’t thought about that at all. What if it had all been a dream? It had to have been. Especially with a giant rat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, get some rest.” Aunty tucked me in once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I muttered a confused okay back and once she was gone I stared at the ceiling for a while. Was it a dream? My head hurt a lot though. Truly, it had felt as though I had really hit it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patting my tender head, I slowly got out of bed and found that my nutcracker was still gone. He still wasn’t under the bed. He wasn’t anywhere in the room and I was beginning to wonder if I had been dreaming or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, I went downstairs because maybe I left him downstairs after a spell of sleepwalking. And just in case my dream had been real.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The living room was the same as it had been when I went down before though. The grandfather clock still ticked and the couches were still bathed in moonlight. The wind still whistled by with the snow outside and I stood there, confused out of my mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because the coffee table was not centred and straight. It was pushed on one end as if someone had hit it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like I had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If I really did hit my head, then where was my…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A creak stopped me from breaking out into a search and I found the oddest thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wondering if I was still dreaming, I tilted my head at the grandfather clock Uncle had made. It looked… Empty. As though the gears and cogs had all disappeared and left only a hole. A hole big enough for a child my size to squeeze through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I crept closer, looking into the hole and finding that it just went on and on into darkness as if there wasn’t a wall behind the clock. There was a tiny light deep inside the further I looked and as I peered into it, I saw the tiny figure of a man. He had long, periwinkle hair that was white with age and he had his tucked back into a familiar ponytail for work and I gasped, “Uncle! Uncle Dan! Wait!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I hurried to clamber up into the small tunnel of the clock, crawling quickly after Uncle but he didn’t listen. He was too busy humming to himself, walking further and further away the faster I crawled. Soon, the tunnel got bigger and I could stand. So, I ran, calling after him, “Wait! Uncle Dan! Where are you going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Uncle’s hums faded away and so did his tiny figure and I kept running until I was standing at the source of the light. I was in a doorway, looking out across an unfamiliar room. It was far too ornate and beautiful to be Aunty and Uncle’s home. The floors were made of polished marble and the walls were draped in tapestries all the way up to the high ceiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hopping to the floor, I found that there were curtains covering the windows and it was hard to see, but there was a bed in the middle of the room too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking behind me, I found that the clock I had jumped out of wasn’t there anymore but instead there was a set of double doors. To my dismay, they were locked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like any curious child, I looked around some more. There was a dresser with trousers and tunics of fine quality. There was a shelf full of books and I even recognized many of the titles as ones I’d read with Kakashi. It was only looking at one of the tall mirrors that I noticed someone in the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a gasp, I spun to face them and found they hadn’t moved. Even as I tip-toed closer, they didn’t move. The boy in the bed seemed to be sleeping. His brown locks were strewn across the pillow and I squinted at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why… He looked just like me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This boy looked exactly like me but his skin was smooth and bore no mark of a bicycle accident like mine did. He seemed to be sleeping and even as I bent over him he didn’t move. Iruka the Second seemed to be sleeping the deepest sleep imaginable. Even tapping him on the shoulder did nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, wake up,” I whispered tentatively and still nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy didn’t even move when the doors were kicked open and a group of uniformed soldiers burst into the room, surrounding me without a word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With swords at my throat and men shouting at me, I was ready to fall to my knees but a voice called out across the crowd, “Hold!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There, at the door, stood a man in the same royal purple uniform. His silver sash showed his status as captain of the guard and the purple marks under his eyes made me gasp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing me, his eyes widened too and for a moment, I felt he recognized me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My nutcracker doll.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>My nutcracker slowly sheathed his sword, his brows still furrowed from what I could see from the light coming from the doorway. He looked exactly like the doll Uncle had given to me but brought to life as a human. His brown hair was the same tangled mess and his purple uniform was finely pressed like a true King’s knight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a voice that sounded so strangely familiar, he called to the guards, “Fall back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I kept my hands high in the air as he stepped forward, glancing between me and the boy on the bed, my lookalike. It was with his next question that I realized that he didn’t recognize me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you? What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I’m Iruka,” I managed to mutter. “I don’t know how I got here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guards seemed just as confused as I and my nutcracker… Well, the Captain of the guard seemed just as confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A moment later, there were the sounds of steps and another person surrounded by guards flew into the room. At the sight of the unfamiliar man in crimson robes and golden crown, I knew for sure I wasn't home anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You look just like my son," His Majesty muttered and when his eyes watered I knew it had been a long time since he'd seen his son awake and moving. His Majesty motioned to the guards and they fell back, leaving the room to take watch again. "What's your name?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iruka," I replied and the King smiled, motioning out the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come, walk with me Iruka. Tell me how you got here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Uncertain, I glanced at the only familiar face in the room that wasn’t my own and the man who looked exactly like my nutcracker gave a small nod. So, I followed His Majesty out of the room and he listened as I explained who I was and how I got to be in such an amazing palace. All the while, we walked the halls of his beautiful home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like the room, the floors were a pure white stone throughout the entire castle as if they had been carved from one piece. The walls were a bright red through the halls but each room had its own colour. Out the windows, there was no snow whipping by but there was a heavy fog covering the tiny town, forests and valleys insight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How long has your son been asleep? How did he get that way?” I asked him and he looked off into his own memories.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve been fighting a terrible war for many years now. The king of the rats, King Madara, took us by surprise almost a year ago. He swept in and demanded we give everything to him. When we didn’t comply, he put a curse on my son, the bravest of our soldiers, and we’ve been fighting ever since.” His Majesty sighed, looking so worn and defeated. “It seems as though no matter how many soldiers I throw at him, he always has more and more rats.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I listened and thought to the terrifying Rat King who had tried to steal my nutcracker, wondering if the same rat was King Madara. I asked as we walked, “How are you going to break the curse?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” His Majesty muttered with such regret but he lightened for a moment. “But I do have all the wisest men in the kingdom coming to help. We will decide together what’s the next step. If not, we fight again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The King allowed me to follow him for the day, watching as he gave orders to people and met with different dignitaries. All of them were dressed so beautifully in clothing that reminded me of real nutcrackers and even like the set of royalty dolls Uncle made for me years ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As much as this place was new and odd, there were so many things that reminded me of home. From the great clock in the main hall to the table the wise men were to sit at later on. What a strange and grand palace it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Strangest of them all, the Captain of the guard often accompanied us around and I couldn’t help but think he sounded familiar whenever he spoke. Though it wasn’t often, his voice was so familiar I couldn’t put my finger on it. I had to pretend the entire time I wasn’t completely fascinated by him despite the smile he often sent my way. Even though he didn’t recognize me, I knew he was my nutcracker and was proud to know he was such a good person. Not to mention he looked to be not much older than I was at the time and he was a Captain too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, the wise men started to arrive and I was given a place behind the King to sit. After a long ceremony of boring introductions, the conversation finally began and I was truly astounded by how unwise these wise men were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I propose we sing to him, Your Majesty!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Majesty, we should find the great wizard Merlin. He hasn’t been seen for many dozens of years but he would be the only wizard powerful enough to break this curse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t mind, Your Majesty, my men and I would like to try our newest invention. We call it: the Hair Dryer. That will surely banish any bad spirits set upon him!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I watched as the King’s face crumbled with every bad suggestion and I couldn’t help but whisper to the Captain who was stationed just beside me, “These plans are all… Not great.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the same story every time,” The Captain answered. “They talk in circles. Everyone thinks their idea is the best and they can never decide.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Selfish,” I muttered and realized something. “Hey, what’s your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled and held out his hand secretly. “Sukea. Captain of the guard and fifth general.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you. I’m Iruka,” I took his polite hand and shook it. That charming smile reminded me so much of Kakashi, my dear friend who was supposed to be home soon. In fact, his voice sounded so much like him too if not a bit older. I had to get home soon before Uncle and Aunty could worry and before Kakashi could come and go again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Letting go of Sukea’s hand, I admitted to him. “I don’t know why I’m here but I’m sure it has something to do with the Prince’s curse. I have to find a way to break it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sukea looked out across the arguing crowd too and we both thought about what he said next, “I fear you won’t find the way to break the curse. Not here, at least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t help but feel so disheartened, starting to worry that I’d never see my dear family again. Or my beloved Kakashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps Sukea saw my sadness as he quickly offered, “If you want, you can go look in town. Maybe there’s someone there who knows something. Maybe they heard something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The town? How do I get there?” I demanded and Sukea helped me sneak out of the room, showing me a secret passage that led outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to stay here and keep the King safe but…. Be careful,” Sukea said with his whole chest and I couldn’t help but imagine that he was Kakashi telling me to be safe. So, I nodded and set out down the path that led to the village.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Through the evergreen trees as the sunset, I followed the long path down but by the time I got to the town at the bottom of the hill, everything was already closed. The shop windows were dark and the streets were empty and lit but the ethereal blue lights of the streetlamps and the moon. I walked and walked for what felt like hours with my hopes dwindling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was I to do if I couldn’t find anyone to help me? How far away from home was I? And what would happen to the King and his men if they couldn’t break the curse? War.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, knowing it meant Sukea would have to fight too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing so late at night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I whirled to find a hooded man on a set of steps with a lute, lightly plucking away without a care in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m looking for someone to help me,” I replied, trying to catch a glimpse of his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped his playing but didn’t otherwise move. “Help with what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“King Madara has put a curse on the Prince and if we don’t find a way to break it… The kingdom will go to war.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man hummed and started plucking again. “Well, that is a predicament.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you help me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t seem to pay attention to me and instead asked, “Why do you care what happens to these people? Are they your friends? Family?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” I muttered, thinking about Iruka the Second and the King and Sukea. “But there are people in there that I care for and want to protect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would you go out of your way to protect them then?” The man wondered, tilting his hood back enough for me to see his white hair and the way it seemed to glow purple under the lamplight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s the right thing to do,” I told him simply. “I want them to be happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if that puts you in danger?” He asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know why he was asking these things but looking back now, I can see he was asking why I’d do such a reckless thing for people I didn’t know. I wasn’t a cautious child and I did things rashly for people. So, I nodded and told him, “Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The player seemed to think for a moment before raising an arm and pointing a finger down one of the alleys. “Go find the Queen of Time. She’ll be able to help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you!" Without a second thought, I hurried down the direction the stranger pointed and kept my eyes peeled for anything at all related to time or queens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I muttered her name over and over under my breath and just as I thought I was lost, a doorway suddenly appeared between two buildings. It led deep into an alley and I heard a woman's humming echoing from deep within.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping through the archway, the stone walls continued on and on until they were covered in crimson drapes. The sky was replaced by a roof draped in the same velvety fabric and my footsteps were muffled as I slowed. Colours of purple and blue were wavering on the walls like sunlight through water and I couldn’t help but gasp in awe at the mystical object it was coming from. A giant, perfectly crystal clear ball was sitting in the middle of the folds of red, atop an ornate tripod of gold and gems.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From behind the crystal ball, a figure rose high above it, slender but giant hands rising into the air menacingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A-Are you the Queen of Time?” I asked hesitantly when she didn’t speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her laugh was soft and soothing and she moved forward so that I could see at least her chin from under the dark purple hood. I could see her faint smile underneath. “And who’s asking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Iruka. I was told you can help me. The Prince is under a terrible curse and the King will have to go to war with King Madara to free him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her hum seemed to echo through the entire room but she tilted her head to the side. “And you want to save them. But why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I care about them,” I replied, wondering why so many people were asking me that question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Queen hummed and I caught a glimpse of her pale hair and shining lips. “And what about you? What will you do once the Prince has been saved?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to go home. At least, I hope to.” That question was one I really didn’t know how to answer otherwise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well then, Iruka,” She said, leaning over the crystal ball as her fingers came up to caress the sides. “Let’s find you a way home then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She began humming, hands drifting over the clear surface as the lights danced off her palms and shone through her fingers. As if playing the lights like the strings of a harp, she fell into a trance that I couldn’t but watch in wonder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, she said in a whisper, “I see a rat and his servants. Hoarding over jewels and gold and something else. The source of their power. A nut.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A nut?” I asked and she nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A nut containing all of the Rat King’s power; the Shell of Darkness. It can only be broken by…” In her pause, one of her hands dipped into the ball as if it were water and impossibly pulled out a sword. With the blade shining silver and white, she held it out to me with both her hands. “The Sword of Light.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as I touched it, the blade shrunk down to normal size and it seemed to fly into my hands. The Queen of Time had one last thing to say though. “But it can only be wielded by one with a pure heart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How will I find someone with a pure heart?” I wondered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her lips turned up at the edges and she waved me to the door with a simple, “The sword will show you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if pushed, I spun away with a step onto the town street again as if it had been right behind me. I whipped around and the alleyway was completely gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alone under the blue moon, I clutched the sheathed sword and hurried out of the town. Whisking through the homes and shops, I was soon in the forest and the next moment I was slipping back into the castle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first person I found wasn't the King though. Incidentally, I ran into Sukea and he steadied me with a solid hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're back," He acclaimed with a bright smile and my cheeks burned a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am! I found someone named the Queen of Time and she told me how to defeat the rats," I told him and his eyes went even wider, so surprised by everything I was saying and I told him about the Shell of Darkness and the Sword of Light. I showed him the blade, how it looked like a normal sword in my hands and the beautiful engraving on the sheath. “But I don’t know how to find someone with a pure heart…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is a predicament,” Sukea agreed, his brows wrinkling adorably just like Kakashi would and I shook myself out of staring at him for too long. Then he held out a gloved hand and asked, “Do you mind if I take a look?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I easily handed it over to him, knowing from the way he held himself and the sword on his hip that he was a general for a reason. He balanced it between his hands and I was about to ask how proficient he was with a sword until he unsheathed it. The name Sword of Light lived up to its name when Sukea unsheathed it, its blade glowing such a warm light as though there was a fire burning inside it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is beautiful,” Sukea marvelled and I couldn’t help but feel horrible at the revelation that he was the one pure of heart. Sukea was the one to defeat King Madara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As my heart burst with hope, surprise and an odd mix of hurt, I muttered, "It's you. You have a pure heart."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up at me and I saw how much he looked like Kakashi at that moment, full of wonder and surprise by everything Iruka was saying. But his gaze steeled and he put on a mask of resolution. "We have to tell His Majesty. Then we go to war."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," I managed and then he was gone and it felt like every single morning after the holidays. People started rushing around and weapons were being gathered like luggage and clothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The King even found me and ushered me to a balcony to watch the troops gather. Their springs were being wound and every toy soldier was outfitted with a sword and bayonet. All the cranking and clattering cacophony was so loud I lost myself in the mess until suddenly everyone was ready.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other four generals stood at attention in front of their battalions with Sukea at the very end.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite their different statures and faces, they all bore the same silver sashes and rich purple headpieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The King raised a sword to them. They each raised theirs back one at a time. The first general with his scarred face raised his sword. The second was next and presented his weapon with a flourish and a twinkle in his eyes. The third was stoic thanks to his glasses and the fourth was smirking as they followed suit. Kakashi ended the lineup with the Sword of Light glowing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had to remind myself that it was Sukea down there and not Kakashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My knights! With the Sword of Light, we can defeat King Madara and peace will be restored to the Kingdom!" The King declared with his own gesture. "Now, go! For the last time, we fight and this time we fight only for victory!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the marching started. The toy soldiers spun around on their wooden feet and begun their march across the fields and through the woods towards King Madara's castle. The generals took up the front of the fight and soon enough they were gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sukea was gone to fight and maybe die.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi was going off to fight and maybe die.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn't just sit there and watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, as the King settled down with his court for dinner, I hurried to the secret passage and followed the path of hundreds of toy footprints. I had no idea why or where I was going but I needed to be there. I simply walked through the glimmering blue fireflies and deep evergreen trees, following the steps of my living nutcracker doll.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another chapter to come in a few days~<br/>Thank you so much for reading so far!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>King Madara's lair was not in a normal castle or even a normal home. Instead, he lived in the side of a mountain on the far end of the valley. Beyond the forests and the town, I followed the prints of hundreds of toy soldiers and their generals as they headed off to war. It was night by the time I followed them into the forest and I was only going by footprints in the dirt but it was hard to see the shadows of them in the dark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the light of the moonlight through the trees, I managed to stay on their trail but I was still far behind. When I got to the hole in the ground that led to the Rat King’s caverns, the battle was already well underway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sadly, our side didn't seem to be winning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the giant tunnels lit by torches and burning soldiers, I passed the wooden bodies strewn about to follow the echoes of battle. There were rats here and there, fallen in battle like our windup soldiers but there weren't nearly as many. There was still hope since the fighting seemed to be happening deep within the cave but there were still so many bodies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hurrying through the flickering light, I hid as rats scurried by and followed the sounds of metal against metal as calls got louder and louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on! Wind them up! As quick as you can!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m winding as fast as I can!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re gaining on them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were the voices of generals but they sounded hoarse and tired. They were fighting so hard and I lingered behind them, not knowing what to do. Maybe I could join them, help their fight. I just needed a weapon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking through the bodies around me, I didn’t find a weapon. As I crept up ahead to find one though, I heard the scratching of rats again. In a moment of panic, I dove into a dark cubby and found that I wasn’t in a nook or cranny. Instead, it was the tiniest of tunnels that led down further than and deeper than any other. With the echoes of rats behind me, I hurried down the tiny tunnel until light shone through a hole up ahead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carefully, I looked through to find the grandest of caves below. Under a swinging, glittering chandelier, it was filled with gold, jewels, food, drink and clothes from every side. Amongst the stalagmites and stalactites, there were bodies upon bodies of rats dead and alive but most of them were gathered around the main entrance where the other generals were fighting them off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the very center, a familiar and just as terrifying rat stood above them all. Taller than any man, the Rat King was calling out orders from the tallest pile of treasures. “Show them no mercy! Surround them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind him, on a pedestal of glass, there was a giant wrinkled shell. The Nut was a walnut, glossy and bigger than my head and it looked impossible to break, impenetrable to everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Queen of Time couldn’t be wrong, could she? I feared at that moment that maybe she’d been wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe I’d just sent the generals and their toys to die. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>From the chandelier in the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a brave figure withdrawing a sword. It shone so brightly, brighter than the chandelier and Sukea was the only shadow in its light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sukea leapt off the light in a flip, swung the blade down and against all odds it hit the target below, splitting the Nut in a web of bright lines. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As it did, the Rat King screeched. The other rats scattered as he wailed, “No! My power! My heart!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The captain of the guard staggered away as the lines of light ran over the Nut’s surface, sparks shooting from its shell. All the while, between the hissing and rumble of cracking, King Madara wailed and curled in on himself. He seemed to shrink as he died but not before calling, “Curse you! I curse you to forever be a... Nutcracker!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kakashi!” I instinctively called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Nut exploded then and the robes King Madara had worn crumpled to the smoke-covered ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I found myself down there minutes later. The generals were rejoicing, happily winding the toys back up one by one and leading them out. There was one person missing though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping through gold and silver, I searched everywhere and eventually found him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not Kakashi. Not Sukea. Instead, I found my Nutcracker doll. He was laying on the ground, just the same as when I had picked him out of Uncle’s bag. There was nothing at all different but I knew that inside this doll was a boy like me, a boy who had saved everyone from the Rat King. Sukea was a hero and he was stuck as my Nutcracker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I picked him up and headed back, following the trails I had taken to get here. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time I made it back to the castle, it was morning. There was music coming from all corners and everyone seemed to come to life. So many people passed me by without a second look and I had to fight my way through crowds to get to the King.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Majesty!” I called, trying to jump up and see him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah! Iruka!” The crowds parted and not only did I see the King but I saw the Prince. Iruka the Second standing next to him with his eyes narrowed. “Come, we must celebrate! The curse is broken!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is,” I agreed as I came forward, smiling at the Prince and finding no smile in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I see the similarities, father,” The Prince snapped with the fakest of smiles and my heart dropped. He quickly looked away from me and turned to his father. “But back to the matter at hand, where is Sukea? You said he was the one to have broken my curse?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, he should be around here somewhere,” The King said as he looked around and I moved in closer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Majesty, I have some grave news. Sukea is here.” The Prince straightened to look at me and so did everyone else in the room. Against my building annoyance against the Prince, I explained as I held up my Nutcracker, “Right here. King Madara put a curse on him with his final breaths.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room went quiet for a moment and once it had finally passed Iruka the Second stepped forward to study Sukea’s new form. He leaned in, squinted and pulled the most uninterested and disgusted face I had ever seen. Any hope I had for him melted and he walked away with a huff. “Pity. I was hoping to marry him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he shrugged and started to walk off. The King was even looking away when I piped up again, “Wait! Aren’t you going to do something about it? He gave his life for you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was the Prince? The person everyone had fought for? I was so angry, I didn’t know what to think until he turned. With my own face, he shrugged and said, “I didn’t ask him to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was stunned by that response because it was true. He hadn’t asked Sukea to risk his life. Not even the King had asked that of him. Sukea had decided to fight because he was a good person, the purest of hearts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Knowing that, I didn’t know what else to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room emptied and I was alone with him, my poor Nutcracker. And I cried for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, I wandered out. Into the forest beyond the castle, I made my way to the town in hopes of finding the Queen of Time. I didn’t find her though. I couldn’t even find the man who had been playing the lute before. There was no one on the empty streets and I left the town without any hope for Sukea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know how to get home either. I was in an unfamiliar world and even then all I wanted to do was find a way to turn Sukea back. I don’t know what I had been thinking but I was lost in the forest and in my head for a long while. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the forest darkened and lit with fireflies and glowing lampposts that burned purple and blue. I found a light flickering deep into the forest up ahead. It looked… Like Uncle’s workshop. The same workshop he had at home where he worked on his clocks and toys. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping into the candlelit space framed by trees, I found someone was working at one of the tables. They were picking up tools hanging off the low-hanging tree branches, using them and then hanging them back up for others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Standing between two trunks, I watched for a few moments until the person turned to me and gasped in surprise, “Ah, Iruka. You’ve made it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t just a stranger though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Uncle Dan was smiling so brightly at me and I almost dropped Sukea in surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uncle!” I cried and hurried forward to hug him and he chuckled, patting my back as I hugged his legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My, my, you’ve had a long journey, haven’t you?” He asked with a warm smile and I could only nod. He sat me down at his workshop table and there, surrounded by trees, I told him about the journey I’d had. How I followed him here. How I met the Queen of Time. About Sukea and the Prince.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, not everyone has the same good in their hearts,” Uncle said as he fed me and brought me a hot drink. “Sometimes, you have to learn the hard way. It’s always better to be cautious though.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I hummed and handed Sukea’s doll over to him. “Do you think you can fix him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Uncle Dan picked him up and studied him, looking him over and I waited nervously by his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is a strong curse.” Uncle Dan kept looking but eventually, he shook his head to my dismay, giving Sukea back. “Not much can break a curse like that. True love. Powerful magic. A sacrifice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know how to do any of those things. As much as I wanted to deny it, I was still a child. I may have been almost a teenager but I still had no power and didn’t know what love was. Although, I knew I cared about some people. Uncle Dan, Aunty Tsunade and Kakashi. They were all so important to me. Kakashi in such a different way though. This wasn’t Kakashi though. This was Sukea. My Nutcracker. I sighed and Uncle patted my shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No much we can do now,” He mused and he patted my shoulder. “You must be exhausted. Sleep, and we’ll find a way out when I get back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are you going?” I asked as he pulled on a scarf and headed out to the trees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He simply smiled and said as he walked off, "Why, to get more tea, of course. Sleep well."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So tired, my eyelids closed on the sight of him leaving the forest-covered workshop and wandering into the night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When I was drifting into sleep, I found myself surrounded by tunnels of gold and gems. And Sukea was there with the Sword of Light but when he spoke he spoke as Kakashi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iruka, come with me." He sounded just like Kakashi and the way the light shined, his hair looked silver like Kakashi's.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, I followed. He led us through the tunnel until we were standing at its lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And below us was a beautiful palace of white and gold. There were pixies flying through the air on glittering wings. There were toy guards sitting in pews and amongst them were other beautiful people like my dolls at home. There were princesses with cotton candy dresses, princes with their candy cane sleeves and even lords and ladies with gumdrop buttons and hats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the end of the hall and lines of pews, there was a man who looked so much like the King with a book waiting for us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was only when Sukea held out his arm and I took it that I realized what this was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on, now. Let's not be late," Sukea said as he ushered us down the aisle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait, is this a wedding?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course, silly. How could you forget your own wedding?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked up to find that he was only Sukea now. Kakashi was gone. His eyes were different and his voice was different too and it was all wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait! I didn't agree to this!" I struggled to pull out of his grip but Sukea only smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But you did when you took my arm," He said and I yelled at him to let me go and the dream fell away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was in Uncle’s workshop again, surrounded by forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no wedding and I wasn't being married off to a man I didn't really know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was someone pulling at my arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A rat my size, one I had met before. Kabuto from the very start of this was trying to take my Nutcracker. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop!" I screeched, falling back away from the table and trying to crawl away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Give him to me," The rat hissed, hurrying after me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No! He was just trying to break the curse," I pleaded in fear as I held Sukea close. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He killed my King! And for that, he must pay with his life," He snapped back, pulling out a dagger. In a flash, he was grabbing my leg and trying to wrestle the doll out of my hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No!" I pushed him off but that sent Sukea flying across the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a second, we stared at each other. We stared at the Nutcracker too and we both bolted forward. I didn't think it through. Kabuto had a knife, after all. I couldn't do anything more except throw myself in front of his blade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as I did, I knew I had followed my heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had followed it all the way to my doom for a doll I barely even knew. How silly it had been to sacrifice myself for a doll that I come to imagine as someone else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was truly a rambunctious child, spurred on by my heart and feelings. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Of course, it helped that I woke up in bed instead of feeling any pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Other than the one in my head of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Iruka," Aunty Tsunade cooed as she leaned over my bed, her long braid swinging in my face as she worried over me. "Are you feeling alright?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My head hurts," I muttered and she gave me some water and medicine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a soft smile and tender hands, she explained slowly, "You hit your head last night falling down the stairs."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was helping me sit up and fixing my covers as if I was sick because I was. Head pounding and thoughts swirling, I wasn’t well. The daylight hurt my eyes and I was overheating under all the blankets. Uncle Dan was in the corner, watching as Aunty patched me up and pressed a cold cloth to my forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Aunty was the best doctor in town and made sure I was comfy and let me know I was on track to getting better. As she fixed the covers once more, she scolded me for being so reckless and I apologized profusely. It was only after I said sorry for the tenth time that she kissed my forehead. When I glanced at Uncle, he just smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s someone who’s here to see you.” She smiled before walking out and I blinked owlishly as Uncle Dan left with a wink I couldn’t decipher.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before I could wonder, a familiar face stepped into the open doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry for being so late.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi pulled a sheepish grin and my headache went away instantly. He was just as I remembered him from last year. In his striped tie breeches, he still looked as dashing and cool as always. He was taller and his cheeks weren’t as full but he was still the Kakashi I had known since I was a baby and the same person my heart jumped for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His face grew bittersweet for a moment, looking down at his clothes and fixing his shirt. “Maybe if I hadn’t been so late, you wouldn’t have hit your head.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I flushed and waved him off. “I probably would’ve fallen anyway. You got caught in a storm again though. Did you wish on a star not to see me again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi huffed as he sat by my bed, “Yes, in the cloudy sky I saw a shooting star.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We chuckled and I noticed his cheeks were just a bit pink as he pulled a flower out from behind his back and placed it on my bedside table without a word about it. “You had me worried for a moment there. You were a bit delirious this morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was?” I asked faintly as I pretended not to glance at the perfect daisy he had just indirectly given me. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were crying and yelling about someone named… Sukea, I think? Is he a classmate?” Kakashi asked cautiously and I noticed the way he pretended not to care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I grinned and asked cheekily, “And what if he was?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi flushed and shoved his hands into his pockets, not meeting my eyes as he muttered, “Then he might take up much of your time if ever I come to visit you at home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As quickly as he said it, Kakashi started futzing with my covers like Tsunade had and was muttering under his breath, “You need to take more care of yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With all the conviction I could muster, I said to him, “I’ll try to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at me and I saw something in his eyes that was beyond friendship, beyond our little games and silly antics. It dawned on me then that he might see me in the same way, a distant friend who I’d known forever and saw regarded so highly. It made me realize how much I missed him and how much I didn’t know about him because I wanted to know everything. He couldn’t just be a holiday nutcracker only to be taken out once a year. Winters weren’t enough anymore for me from that point on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, I grinned at him and asked, “Want to hear about my dream?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And I told him all of it that I could remember and we laughed and joked about it for years to come. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, many years later, the details have become muddled and I know that it was just a fanciful dream. Still, it’s quite a lot of fun to warn my own children of the Sack Man who turns them into rats who serve under the Rat King even though they’re getting too old for my stories. Kakashi still manages to strike some fear into them when he suddenly knocks on the door though. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As always, we visit Aunty Tsunade for the winter and she seems happy for the company now that Uncle Dan’s passed away. She decorates every inch of the house and has even kept up Uncle’s tradition of hiding small presents around the house for the kids. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The grandfather clock still ticks. The room I used to sleep in as a child still has all the same furniture and the same toys I used to play with, including a brown-haired nutcracker doll that Uncle had made not long before he passed. That room is now my own children’s and for the holidays they play inside it as I had so many years before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, kiddos,” I call, waving them into bed as I warned, “Time for bed before the Sack Man comes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Sack Man isn’t real,” Sakura says with a roll of her eyes and Naruto laughs with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, if he’s real, why haven’t we been turned into rats?” He challenges and reminds him so much of a younger me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you haven’t stayed up late enough to find out,” I retort back and Naruto gives Sakura a scheming glance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we should,” He conspires and I almost jump in to stop them but there’s a chuckle from the doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi is leaning against the doorframe watching us with a similarly suspicious smile. “You could but then you’d be trapped in the land of the toys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Land of the toys?” Sakura asks and Naruto groans as he throws himself into his pillow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a playfully sinister step, Kakashi moves to loom over their beds. “A place where you might find yourself a rat, a toy or something in between with no way out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Sakura brightens with curiosity, Naruto frowns in suspicion and they prod him with questions as I move to the doorway, watching my small, happy family as Kakashi recounts a tale that neither of us had ever heard of but sounds familiar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the children scurry into bed with sugarplums and nutcrackers in their heads and Kakashi joins me in at the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kisses my forehead too and I smile at my husband, “My, what wonderful fantasy that was.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Happy holidays everyone!<br/>Interested in seeing my source material? The Nutcracker Fantasy is actually free to watch on Youtube (the dub is actually quite good and Christopher Lee always takes my breath away). It's a stop-motion animation from 1979 Japan that even won a few awards if I'm not mistaken. It's a fun fantasy to watch and I highly recommend even just listening to the soundtrack (lots of fun).<br/>Thank you guys so much for the great year! <br/>Love you all tons and stay safe &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Next chapter coming soon!<br/>Any guesses for who Aunty and Uncle are? ;)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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